Seldwyla Folks

Gottfried Keller emerges here as a major Swiss storyteller: a writer of poverty and ambition, fiercely democratic in spirit, anti-monarchist in conviction, and deeply rooted in the life, speech, and stubborn habits of his countrymen. Seldwyla Folks is presented as his masterpiece, a set of sharp, comic tales set in the fictional town of Seldwyla, where practicality, caution, and old-fashioned respectability often shade into irony, hypocrisy, and emotional barrenness. The opening story begins with a sly portrait of "decent" people and the combmaking trade that thrives among them, introducing Jobst, a Saxon artisan whose obsessive thrift, self-denial, and secret ambition drive him to save every coin until he can buy the business. His bleak routine is disrupted by Fridolin, a nearly identical workman whose presence turns frugality into rivalry, as each man spies on and outdoes the other in discipline and restraint. Elsewhere, festive intrigue and romantic calculation take center stage: Kuengolt and Violande use charm, manipulation, and carefully staged affection to ensnare the men around them, only for desire, jealousy, and drunken violence to erupt beneath the linden trees. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.